Careful What You're Feeling
by CoquetteDoll
Summary: One shot. Dark themes. "It's a shame you touched her. Now I'm going to have to kill you." Sylar/Claire.


Claire glanced down at her watch, and frowned. The second hand was no longer moving. It had stopped at 12:13, but she had a feeling it was already later than that.

She sighed and looked up at the city lights, a cold breeze wrapping itself around her.

She silently cursed herself for not wearing a jacket and kept walking, her arms folded to keep warm.

For a city that's never supposed to sleep, she felt at peace. Silent, except for the constant sound of traffic, a sound that had seemed to fade after months of living there yet-

Her thoughts were cut off by a pair of arms grabbing her around her neck. She tried to scream out but his grip on her neck tightened and all that came out was a strangled moan. Thousands of thoughts raced through her head as her assailant dragged her into a back alley, ignoring her violent thrashes and gasps for help.

He threw her down on the concrete and knelt on top of her, his weight pinning her down as he retrieved a pocket knife from the inside of his jacket. He held it against her throat and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You're a very pretty girl." She closed her eyes, struggling to get out from under him.

"I think you'd be even prettier crying." he pressed the blade down and dragged it slowly across her skin, his breathing increasing at the sight of the crimson lines that followed. He reached down and began to unzip his pants. She could feel something hard pressing up against her thigh and she whimpered quietly. "Please don't do this."

He laughed at her pleas as he traced his finger roughly over the bloody gash on her neck. His smile disappeared. There was blood, but no cut. How could there be blood with no cut? He furrowed his brow in anger. "What the fuck are you trying to pull, you little bitch?"

Before she could say anything, the man took his knife and hiked up her skirt above her knees to make a deep slit on her upper thigh. This time he watched closely as the cut almost instantly healed itself. He laughed in disbelief. "Holy shit. You're a freak, huh? I could have some fun with this..."

Claire said nothing. She stopped fighting and closed her eyes, praying to a God she wasn't sure existed. The man in front of her began to remove his pants. "I'm going to fuck you till you bleed." he smiled sadistically, his tongue running along his bottom lip. "How do you like the sound of th-"

The man flew back and hit the brick wall behind them with such force Claire was sure she saw it crack. 'What the hell just happened?' She stood up and turned around to see a tall man with dark eyes standing behind her, forming his hand into a claw. Her attacker began choking, struggling for breath.

"Sylar..?" "She isn't a freak."

He turned and looked at Claire, her face stained with tears and blood on her neck.

Her skirt was ripped from when the man had tried to force it off. He turned back to her attacker.

"She's special. I'm special too. Let me show you..."

He waved his hand and the man's skull bashed into the brick a second time, leaving an imprint of blood on the wall. "You're pathetic," he sneered. "It's a shame you touched her. Now I'm going to have to kill you."

Claire's eyes grew wide. Her heart was racing and she knew she should run, but she couldn't.

The sound of bones breaking echoed through the dark alley.

"Usually I don't bother wasting my powers on someone so insignificant, but I think I can make an exception this time, don't you?" Sylar grinned as the man's neck snapped with a move of his fingers. The man's body fell to the ground, painting a strip of blood against the brick wall.

They were both silent.

He looked down at her, his expression unreadable. Her eyes were shining with tears that had yet to fall, as her bottom lip quivered. He put a hand on her head and stroked her blond hair. She began to cry in front of the same man that has tried to kill her nearly a year ago.

"Sweet Claire.." he whispered. "So naive, so innocent."

She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his middle. She wouldn't say admit it aloud, but she had been afraid. She had been afraid, and Sylar had saved her. His body tensed at her unexpected advance. He wasn't used to being touched. Especially by pretty, young girls.

"Why did you help me?"

Sylar furrowed his brow. He was used to people crying in fear, not out of gratitude or relief. He wasn't used to being the hero. He didn't like how she was looking for something in him that he feared wasn't there.

"You're a very special girl. I guess you could say I admire that. I'm a fan of your... talents.. An ordinary man like him with no abilities... no skills." he looked her up and down.

"They could never appreciate you the way I do, Claire. They don't deserve you."

She said nothing as he leaned down to softly kiss the top of her head. She shuddered.

"I should be the only one to touch you."

Sylar could hear Claire's heart racing in her chest, and he was pleased with the effect he had on her. He placed his hand on the side of her face, tilting her face up to meet his. He had expected her to resist, and was surprised to find that she didn't. She closed her eyes as he briefly brushed his lips against hers.

"The only one who hurts you."

She looked up at him, eyes red and swollen with tears. He touched her face with a self satisfied smile.

"Because as much as you may despise me, I know that when you go to sleep tonight; those sweet tears falling down your face… "

"I'll be the one person you can't stop thinking about."

Claire didn't say anything. She knew he was right.


End file.
